AsThe Legend of Zeldanears its 40th birthday, recent releases likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomhave done away with aspects of the franchise that have become staples. While the linear pathways of olderZeldagames were out the window, one thing that Nintendo is seemingly not keen on ever getting rid of is the dungeons.
One of the strongest elements of the pre-Breath of the Wildgames, the dungeons inThe Wind Wakerwas Nintendo’s first effort at building dungeons on their then brand-new hardware. In spite of being seen as underpowered, the GameCube was actually stronger than the PS2, and it allowed Nintendo to put some extra muscle into the dungeons.
8Savage Labyrinth
Thisoptional mini-dungeonis located in the very first location in the game, situated on the eastern cliffs of Outset Island. Made up of fifty-one total floors, it is also the location of a chart required to put together the pieces of the Triforce, which can be found on the thirty-first floor.
Although the player can exit the Labyrinth from here, finishing all the floors will give the player a Piece of Heart. The Savage Labyrinth also saw a slight change in the HD version of Wind Waker released on Wii U, where the Triforce Chart was changed to a Shard and the final reward is the Hero’s Charm, an item that allows the player to see the remaining health of enemies.
7Forsaken Fortress
Acting as both a tutorial of sorts in the beginning and a full on dungeon later, the Forsaken Fortress is visited by Link twice duringthe course of The Wind Waker.The first trip mostly involves sneaking past Bokoblins, avoiding searchlights and getting tossed out by the Helmaroc King, a huge bird under the control of Ganon.
The second trip to the Forsaken Fortress allows the player to really see how far they’ve come. Now equipped with the Master Sword and a whole new arsenal of gear, taking on both Phantom Ganon and the Helmaroc King in two fantastic boss battles.
6Forbidden Woods
Located on an island known as Forest Haven, the Forbidden Woods is only accessible via the Deku Leaf granted to the player by the Great Deku Tree, using the massive tornadoes in order to reach the entrance. Inside, the Forbidden Woods is a visually impressive andabsolutely gorgeous environment.The overgrown plant life and vegetation covers nearly every inch of the dungeon, making traversal a bit tricky.
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By using bombs and other items, the player must navigate a huge flower in the center of the dungeon that Link will have to cut down limb by limb with the boomerang. This grants them access to Kalle Demos, an enormous plant creature that is attached to the ceiling, requiring some slick boomerang tossing to send them crashing down.
5Wind Temple
Though players are assisted early on by the cute little Korok named Makar, he is soon captured by Floormasters and leaves the player alone to explore. Along the way, Link will eventually reconnect with Makar and gain access to the Hookshot, which is crucial to exploring andnavigating around.
As implied in the name, wind plays a major factor in the puzzles and traversal of the dungeon. It makes great use of the Iron Boots in order to solve a complex metal box puzzle, one that leads directly into the boss fight against Molgera. This intimidating, flying snake is one of the more satisfying fights, calling on the Hookshot in order to strike at his vulnerable tongue.
4Earth Temple
The Earth Temple pairs Link up with the absolutely delightful Sage named Medli, one who much like Wind Temple companion Makar, is crucial to restoring the full power to repel evil to the Master Sword. Pairing Link up with a partner inside a dungeon wasn’t new for the franchise, asOcarina of Timehad also featured a couple of dungeons with companion characters, but Medli’s ability to fly and help Link travel across greater distances makes for some fun challenges.
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The deeper inside the Earth Temple the player gets, the more familiar they will become with its use of mirrors due to Link acquiring the Mirror Shield. It plays a pivotal role in making it through the complex puzzles and in combat against ReDeads, culminating in a fight against a giant Poe named Jalhalla.
3Ganon’s Castle
Deep under the vast Great Sea that the player has traversed for the entire game to this point, Ganon’s Tower is located in the depths of Hyrule. Theonce glorious kingdomnow rests under the sea after the events of the Great Flood caused by Ganon’s return, an event that had no Hero of Time to stop, thus the Goddesses sealed Hyrule away underwater.
It’s haunting place in Zelda lore aside, Ganon’s Castle is the finale ofThe Wind Wakerand sees Link go through a gauntlet of mini-dungeons based on previous main dungeons. This all leads to a long, windy staircase that takes the player to the final battle with Ganon in a multi-phase showdown that is certainly up there with the best final boss fights in the franchise’s history.
2Tower Of The Gods
Once players reach the Tower of the Gods, which is located under the Great Sea that comes roaring out of the waves once the player acquires all three Goddess Pearls. Sailing in with the King of Red Lions feels ominous, while altogether quite thrilling. It’s a quiet, somewhat intimidating moment where Link is about to face his greatest challenge in the game thus far.
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The Tower of the Gods is a multi-level behemoth that features complex puzzles, challenging enemies and a collection of sentient statues known as Servants that Link must guide across light bridges and maneuver through rooms. As the player ascends the tower,the challenge escalates with themand featuresThe Wind Waker’scoolest boss battle in the form of Gohdan. This disembodied collection of hands with eyes and a floating head is the player’s true test for retrieving the Master Sword.
1Dragon Roost Cavern
It’s difficult to imagine describing a dungeon in a Zelda game as cozy, but that’s exactlywhat Dragon Roost Cavern is. Accessible on the equally charming Dragon Roost Island, this molten playground is built around discovering what is wrong with a giant dragon named Valoo that sits atop the cavern, as his distress is the main source of the player’s quest.
Making use of bombs to clear paths and water to douse out flames, it’s a fantastic tour through one of Link’s earliest challenges. It features a boss fight against a recurring enemy from the series; a gigantic one-eyed crab named Gohma. This souped-up, hyper-aggressive version of the classicZeldaboss is the highlight of this brilliant dungeon.
